Takasugi Shinsuke
|colorscheme=kiheitaiColors |image= |jname=高杉 晋助 |rname=''Takasugi Shinsuke'' |ename=Shinsuke Takasugi |status=Alive |first=Episode 17 |age=20+ |birthday=10 Aug/Leo |affiliation=Old Jouishishi Kiheitai |species=Human |occupation= Terrorist |jva=Koyasu Takehito }} | divwidth= | floatalign= | floatclear= }} Takasugi Shinsuke (高杉 晋助) is the leader of the Kiheitai, an extremist group which he resurrected from the Joui Wars. The Kiheitai is a Joui faction bent on causing world destruction. According to the moderate Joui faction led by Katsura, the Kiheitai accumulates military firearms through shady arms dealing so that they can become a powerful military organisation. Contrary to Katsura, who wants to find a better solution and a way to save the world, Takasugi only wants to destroy. He will go to any lengths to see his world destruction through, even conspiring with the Harusame. He fought alongside Sakata Gintoki in the Joui wars. Background In the Cursed Kotatsu chapter, according to Katsura, Takasugi was born in a rich family. In his childhood Takasugi, Gintoki and Katsura were classmate under the same tutelage of Yoshida Shouyou. After the Kansei Purge event Katsura , Gintoki and Takasugi would rise up as the last warriors of the Joui Patriots because the government killed Yoshida Shouyou. He would later become comrades with Sakamoto Tatsuma in the Joui War. He would create Kiheitai group during in the war. It is unknown how he injured his left eye but it was hinted that it happened in the war. Appearance *Height = 170 (5' 7") cm *Weight = 60 kg Takasugi has short, black hair with dark-purple highlights. His left eye is bandaged, and he is usually seen wearing a purple yukata with yellow butterflies. He likes to smoke a thin pipe called (キセル). Other Gintama characters who smoke such a pipe is Yoshiwara's Tsukuyo. He has also been seen playing the shamisen and wearing a sedge hat. He wields a sword. Personality He is ruthless, and does not hesitate to punish insubordination with death, as Nizou experienced first-hand when he realized that Takasugi was seriously aiming to kill him during the Benizakura chapter. Takasugi has a burning hatred for the new world that came to be after the Amanto settled down. This hatred seems to have originated from the loss of his mentor Yoshida Shouyou, as Takasugi wants to destroy the world that took away his teacher. According to Imai Nobume, Takasugi seeks to destroy what Yoshida Shouyou left behind. Takasugi is also treacherous, as he offered up Katsura and Gintoki's heads to the Harusame Space Pirates in exchange for their co-operation in his world-destruction plans.He is often seen with his ruthless eyes or insane smile. Strength & Abilities Not much is known about Takasugi's fighting abilities, but he is a samurai by training, as seen in minor flashbacks in during the Benizakura chapter, where he's in a classroom as a child, alongside Gintoki and Katsura being lectured by Yoshida Shouyou 吉田 松陽. Takasugi uses a shirasaya. Relationships *'Sakata Gintoki': Once studied together in his childhood and frought together in the Joui War but now Takasugi simply wants to kill Gintoki and hates being called comrade. *'Katsura Kotarou': In his childhood, Takasugi and Katsura are always at odd but Katsura thought of him as a comrade. Like Gintoki, he was willing to offer his head to Harusame. Like Gintoki, he also calls Katsura Kotarou by his nickname 'Zura'. *'Kawakami Bansai': Takasugi would use Bansai as a negotiator for the Kiheitai, negotating with Harusame and the Shinsengumi rebels. *'Kamui': At first Kamui wanted to kill Takasugi as Takasugi has a similiar smell to Gintoki but Kamui was betrayed by his superior before the fight. Takasugi saved Kamui and killed the opposing members of Harusame. Kamui delay his fight with Takasugi and they wait for the day when they both attack Earth. *'Sasaki Isaburo': Not much is known between the two but there is no hostility between the two and they're conspiring with each other. Story In the Gengai Arc, Takasugi first appeared in the front of Katsura asking him if he was running away from the government official. Katsura asked him why he arrived in Edo when he heard that Takasugi was running from the Bakufu's pursuit and hid himself in Kyoto. Takasugi heard that there was a festival saying that he couldn't help himself so he came. He then tells Katsura that the one and only Shogun is going to die and the Bakufu and the entire world will be overturned. According to Katsura, Takasugi had escaped from the Bakufu's pursuit and was laying low in Kyoto before reaching Edo. The reason he came to Edo was to assassinate the Shogun, who would be attending a festival there. Takasugi managed to create quite the stir with the help of mechanic Hiraga Gengai 平賀 源外, but the Yorozuya and the Shinsengumi quickly put a stop to their plans, and the Shogun escaped unharmed. Takasugi again resurfaced in Edo during the Benizakura chapter. This time, he didn't come alone, but had brought Kawakami Bansai 河上 万斉, Kijima Matako 来島 また子, Takechi Henpeita 武市 变平太, Okada Nizou 岡田 似蔵 and the rest of the Kiheitai with him in order to stage a military coup and forcibly overthrow the Bakufu. He was also working together with Murata Tetsuya 村田 鉄矢, who made the Benizakura bio-mechanical sword, and was planning to use this sword as an asset in his plans. He implanted Nizou with the sword as Nizou wish was to become a sword in order to protect Takasugi will. Takasugi threatened to cut through both Nizou and the sword if Nizou ever called Gintoki and Katsura his "comrades" again as he claims that they weren't close. Matako and Henpeita blamed Nizou for having to fight Katsura and Gintoki before attacking the Bakufu, they claim that it was insubordination and demand Harakiri. Due to Katsura sabotaging the Benizakuras, Katsura's moderate Joui faction assault and Yorozuya Infiltrating, this appeared Takasugi and the Kiheitai's defeat but Bansai brought Harusame for backup. It turned out Takasugi struck a deal with the Amanto, serving up Gintoki and Katsura's heads to the Harusame Space Pirates. While everybody retreated, Katsura and Gintoki in an all-out battle fought on Takasugi's spaceship which ended with Gintoki and Katsura using a parachute with Elizabeth's face painted on it to escape. The Shinsengumi were fairly left out during all of this, but in Episode 62, Yamazaki gives a full report about the battle to Vice-Commander Hijikata, saying both sides (Katsura's Joui faction and Takasugi's Kiheitai) suffered huge losses. Takasugi appeared once again during the Itou chapter. This time, his plan was to create a dispute within the Shinsengumi, and make them destroy themselves from the inside. He used the Shinsengumi advisor Itou Kamotarou as a pawn, to be able to do so, and also had Kawakami Bansai 河上 万斉 of the Kiheitai there. With Itou, he was fairly successful in making a dispute, but with the help of the Yorozuya, the Shinsengumi eventually survived, while Itou died in a duel with Hijikata set up by the Shinsengumi so that he would not die a traitor. Takasugi's latest appearance was after the Kabukichou War arc. Together with Kamui 神威, he staged an aggressive assault against the Harusame, before they both headed for Earth to kill Gintoki. In the Mimawarigumi arc, he appeared near the end and it seems like he's conspiring with Sasaki Isaburo for future plans. He and his fellow Kiheitai also appeared briefly in episode 252 where they were asked to apology. Only one apologizing was Takechi Henpeita, although only about wanting to destroy Greater Edo Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths while disguising himelf as Takasugi. Henpeita received rough treatment from Bansai and Kijima for that. He appeared disguising as a Naraku agent and kills off Tokugawa Sada Sada for revenge and asked him to send his regards to Yoshida Shouyou. Trivia * Takasugi Shinsuke is based on the real Kiheitai leader Takasugi Shinsaku 高杉晋作, a samurai who founded and commanded the Kiheitai in an effort to fight against the Bakufu. His actions eventually lead to the Meiji Restoration. *In all versions of Episode 150 he appears as the final enemy, in a battle against Gintoki while Edo is burning, but this is proven false because he joins forces with Kamui. __INDEX__ Category:Eye-bandage Category:Smoker Category:Characters Category:Male Characters